Narrator was fine. The story was not what I though tit was going to be AT ALL. Things just seemed a bit far fetched (and not about the historical references to Willowbrook because I researched that I was horrified that most of that was pretty spot on), but the main character and her "story" seemed ridiculous. I know she's a teen, but come on!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.25

🎧Song Pairing: Knockin’ On Heaven’ Door - Bob Dylan

💭What I thought would happen:

This author doesn’t know happiness…at least her writing doesn’t so I assume very sad. And also thought WWII Auschwitz (I was wrong, based in the 70s)

🗯Thoughts/sassy musings:

Well I am both sad because of the content and because I benched this book for as long as I did. Thank goodness for NetGalley November!

I had to amp this audio to 3x, not because it wasn’t an excellent read/listen. Mostly because my heart was breaking for the main character trapped in an asylum for so many young girls who weren’t wanted and forgotten.

This one hit different. My great grandmother was institutionalized because of depression where she died alone. This book reflects such a common story for so many forgotten women in the past centuries.

Would recommend but be ready for some unsettling feelings. This was also the second book this month unintentionally read about women being mutilated! WHY!

Wow, I don’t know how I can express my feelings here. The shocking, frightening, and horrific truth of state schools for the mentally challenged is mixed with the fictional story of Sage and Rosemary, twin sisters separated and only later discovered by Safe that her twin was placed in Willowbrook. It’s a story of guys, but it’s also an exposé on the American mental institutions of our past, many of which were not shuttered too long ago.

I really loved this audiobook! It had all the elements of fiction that hook me…. interesting characters and suspense. I tried, and failed, various times to predict the ending as the author kept me guessing. The narrator was easy to listen to too. I will look forward to more works of fiction by the author, Wiseman. My thanks to NetGalley and publisher for allowing me to listen and provide my review.

I started off really liking this book. I’d never heard of Willowbrook and appreciated learning a bit of history and what day to day was like. BUT the whole premise of one healthy twin being mistaken for another that for years had been locked up, abused, and malnourished was not at all believable. Then the murders get thrown in there and it becomes even more ridiculous. The fictional story detracts from the real life horror of Willowbrook, and that’s not ok.

Absolutely loved this book - the story was intriguing and enlightening. To find out that it’s based on a real place, even though the story was fiction was pretty amazing. Made me want to go and learn more about Willowbrook

Heartbreaking story that kept you on the edge of your seat. I was drawn into this storyline from the get go and it never did seem to drag on. Enjoyed it so much!

THE GOOD: Excellent narration that successfully lent a creepy, taut, suspense vibe to the tale. A well-crafted fiction, strongly inspired by actual events, with a "what if" twist.

THE BAD: The cover art and title. Willowbrook, contrary to the book's title, was not an institution solely for the fairer sex. And, up until the concluding chapters, this was a solid, nerve-wracking novel more of the suspense variety than the cover art suggests. The title and cover art are an unveiled attempt at marketing to the book club fiction audience.

CONCLUSION: Well worth a read (or listen). Different marketing and/or an Author's Note at the end, detailing the history behind the true stories that inspired the book, would have bumped this to five stars. Find an interesting supplement to enhance your read of The Lost Girls of Willowbrook at https://www.kensingtonbooks.com/between-the-chapters/discussion-guide-for-the-lost-girls-of-willowbrook/

A disturbing, intriguing, and challenging novel with morally grey characters, lies, and a search for the truth. The historical aspects of this novel are extremely disturbing, and make the reader wonder about how humanity could really be that way. The suspense portion of the novel keep the reader coming back for more.

I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Morgan Hallett. Morgan kept the listener's attention, without portraying true feelings about the nature of the novel.

I want to thank Netgalley, and RB Media for an advanced listening copy.

I had a hard time finishing this book. I found the plot to be implausible. With that being said, I did like the setting. The author did a good job describing the mental facility.

A powerful, unforgettable historical fiction read. Parts of the book were very dark and upsetting, but sometimes a book needs to do that to provide a powerful punch. The message here was a very timely one. I’m very happy I picked this one up, as I enjoy books that make me feel something.

Girl Interrupted meets American Horror Story in 1970s Staten Island as author Ellen Marie Wiseman blends fact with fiction, and urban legend for a haunting story about a young woman mistakenly imprisoned at Willowbrook State School, the real-life institution later shuttered for its heartbreaking issues.

What an impactful story that will stay with me long after reading! There were such heart wrenching moments that I had otherwise never heard of before, which I'm forever amazed when I read a book of fiction that is based on fact such as this.

*many thanks to RB Media and netgalley for the gifted copy for review

Absolutely heartbreaking! The hardest part of reading this book is the historical foundation this book is built on. I appreciated the authors attempt to bring this tragic cruelty back into the light. With that being said, I’m only going to give this book three stars. I felt that the plot line just fell flat and lacked a good story with a likeable heroine. I did not finish this one because it was just too depressing and moved too slowly. The narrator tried but couldn’t carry such a tragic story. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy for an honest review.

Sage Winters and her sister Rosemary were twins. Rosemary suffered from seizures and often lived in her own world, but Sage loved her twin. When they were ten, Rosemary died from pneumonia, at least that is what everyone was told. Now 16, Sage is living with her stepfather since the death of her mother. She overhears her stepfather Alan talking to his friend, saying that Rosemary has gone missing from Willowbrook State School and she’s shocked and angry. Rosemary is alive! She decides to go to Willowbrook to find out what is going on, and to assist in any way she can. She has heard rumours about the "State School", none of them good. Sage is young, she doesn’t tell anyone where she is going, and when she arrives at Willowbrook they think she’s Rosemary and they lock her up. Sage is shocked at the conditions and treatment of the residents. She also needs to find out what has happened to Rosemary. No one will tell her anything, as they all believe she is the delusional Rosemary. Sage is in trouble, will she ever leave Willowbrook?

Having taught students with developmental disabilities, this book was of great interest to me. I have visited large institutions housing children and adults with a variety of medical and mental health issues and was appalled. I am glad they are no longer in existence here in Ontario, however we still have a long way to go to provide proper services. Sorry, I digress, back to The Lost Girls of Willowbrook. I was not aware that this is based on an actual hospital and events. You can google it and find all kinds of shocking information. This book shows the reality of facilities that were used to house/hide children and adults with birth defects, mental problems, and adolescents who are too much trouble for their parents to handle. Sage is a character that I will think about for a long time. She starts the story as a spoiled and selfish teenager, but turns into a strong woman who is determined to get justice for her sister and the many others, as well as to survive her ordeal. The part of the book that was not as interesting to me was the mystery of who is murdering patients. I would have been fine without the lengthy and drawn out storyline of the murderer. For the first half of the book, I would have given 5 stars, but as I lost interest toward the end, it dropped to 4. The audiobook is narrated by Morgan Hallett, another new narrator to me. I enjoyed her voices and expression and she kept my attention to the end of the story. If you enjoy historical fiction and a mystery, pick this book up, but be prepared for some shocking and disturbing treatment of human beings that can not protect themselves.

I really enjoyed listening to the audio version of The Lost Girls of Willowbrook by Ellen Marie Wiseman. I was intrigued right from the start and found it a great day to spend the day.. Four and a half stars.

Such an interesting premise, and the fact that Willowbrook State School really existed made everything so much gorier, creepier and more disturbing.

I'm going to be honest - some parts were a bit too much for me, as the freaking institution in question took neglect to a whole other level. Still, I appreciated the attention to detail the author put into her work.

I know most people won't agree, but my favorite part of The Lost Girls of Willowbrook was the murder mystery. It felt like a breath of fresh air, to be able to say it's just a story.

My biggest complaint was that certain circumstances felt a bit too convenient. But other than that - I really liked it. I definitely plan to check out more by this author soon.

If you want to see my much more in depth review, you can check it out on my book blog NovelOnMyMind.

Thank you to RB Media and NetGalley for providing me with an audio ARC of The Lost Girls of Willowbrook by Ellen Marie Wiseman in exchange for an honest review.

This book was heartbreaking and anger inducing to say the least. A little slow to start and a little repetitive, it soon took off afterwards. The number of times I just wanted to scream was too many to count. I loved Sage and my heart felt for her. The twists at the end were crazy. Overall, I really enjoyed this book even though the subject matter is rough.

This is an incredible novel about an almost unbelievable (but tragically true) horror story. In New York, The Willowbrook State School was meant to provide education and enrichment to children with developmental disabilities. Instead, it became an overcrowded hellscape of abuse and terror inflicted upon its patients, who not only had no schooling but were often chained to the walls where they sat naked in their own feces until they were hosed down. On a sprawling campus designed to hold 3,000, there were more than 6,000 inmates kept in crowded, violent, dangerous "dayrooms" with no activities. No visitor was allowed past the front lobby; inmates were brought out for any family members who came to visit. Experiments were performed on the youngest children, who were fed live hepatitis virus, with the disease developments recorded while the disease and symptoms were left untreated. Lobotomies were performed on healthy patients as part of doctor training. Hundreds of patients a year were sexually abused or died of abuse or neglect while their families were told they'd died of pneumonia. When Geraldo Rivera went into Willowbrook with hidden cameras and exposed the horrors there, the outrage that followed did absolutely nothing. The school continued to operate unchanged for two decades after that hidden-camera report.

I sadly know this is all true because my younger sister was institutionalized and died in Willowbrook in the early 1970s. The one time I visited her, she was brought out to us where we were made to wait in a small lobby, and she was strapped to something that looked like a furniture dolly and put in a dress that looked like she'd never worn it before. Even though I was a child, I remember how odd that seemed. She died after seven years there of what we were told was pneumonia, but which we now know was more likely neglect or abuse.

This novel tells the story of twin sisters, Sage and Rosemary. Rosemary is developmentally delayed, but the twins are still very close. Their parents divorce, the mom remarries and then Sage is told that Rosemary got sick and died. When she is a teenager, Sage discovers that her sister was actually institutionalized in Willowbrook and has now gone missing. She takes a bus to Willowbrook to try to find Rosemary, where the staff mistakes her for her twin and locks her away in Rosemary's place, refusing to listen to her desperate pleas that she is not who they think she is.

The horror of this mistake is vividly and believably portrayed, and the nightmarish conditions in Willowbrook are described in excruciating detail. I had known the general outline of what went on there but this novel and the story it tells made the totality of it real for me. Reading this book and knowing what my sister and so many thousands of other young people went through was so hard for me that at first I felt I might not be able to make it through the book, but I am glad I did.

The last one quarter of the book concerns itself with a side plot about a suspected serial killer; I felt the book would have been stronger without this overly dramatic fictional addition to the story. The reality of the central story was powerful enough. Still, I highly recommend this novel for its important reflection on how we treated people with intellectual disabilities as well as its super compelling, fast-paced story. It was a hard read for me, but I'm grateful to Netgalley and Recorded Books Media for giving me an advanced reader copy of this audiobook, which was grippingly narrated by Morgan Hallett.

16 year old Sage discovers that the twin sister she thought had died years ago was instead committed to the psychiatric facility Willowbrook State School. When she accidentally finds out her sister is now is missing from the school, she travels to the school to try to find her. The staff at the school think she IS her twin sister, drug her as she resists, and drag her back into her sister’s ward. Inside Willowbrook State School, she experiences firsthand the horrors that her sister has been through for years.

This was an incredibly difficult read- I did not enjoy this book and couldn’t wait for it to be over- but it was extremely well written and I learned a lot (maybe too much) about Willowbrook State School. I am glad the author is shedding light on this horribly nightmarish piece of American history. I am not leaving a star rating because my personal feelings as a nurse toward the nurses and doctors of this “school” seriously cloud my feeling on this topic. This book is quite graphic and the cruelty of the staff towards the children of this asylum is utterly sickening. Titling this place a “school” is an absolute joke. Concentration camp would be much more accurate. These children were tortured, neglected, starved, and physically and sexually abused. They had no access to education, medical or psychiatric care, or basic hygiene. Clean clothes and “showers” (being blasted with a huge hose of ice cold water) were provided extremely rarely. Excrement was on the walls, floors, the children; insects and vermin were everywhere.

After I finished this book I did some googling to look Willowbrook up and the reports of the school and the photos are heartbreaking. Again, overall a well written story but the horrors that I knew were based on fact kept me from being able to stomach this read.

The Lost Girls of Willowbrook is a fiction story that takes place at Willowbrook. It’s based on true history and will make you sad and angry at the same time. It’s not an easy read but it was good read if that makes sense. This story is based on a young women who becomes entrapped as a patient because of mistaken identity and then must solve a string of murders to save herself! I don’t want to give much away but I thought it was a good mystery/thriller. It took me a few days to finish though, because it’s an intense story, so I took breaks. But it was well written and I definitely wanted to know what happened.